Heavy Metal Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Groundwater Sources to Waste Dumpsites in Port Harcourt (Published)
Heavy metal contamination and health risk assessment of groundwater ingestion in proximal relation to waste dumpsites in Port Harcourt were investigated during the rainy and dry season of 2020. Five (5) sampling points were established and designated as Groundwater (GW) as follows: GW1, GW2, GW3, GW4, and GW5 respectively. The control station used was GW5. Nine (9) heavy metals (Cd, As, Mn, Cu, Hg, Ni, Fe, Pb, and Zn) were assessed during the period using an atomic absorption spectrometer and were compared with National Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) of Nigeria. The Estimated Daily Intakes of Metal (EDIM) of these metals for adult males, females, and children revealed no significant health issues during the wet and dry seasons. However, the Health Risk Index (HRI) for non-carcinogenic revealed that during the wet season Pb in the control station (GW5) had a concentration of 4.000E+0 mg/kg/day that was far higher than unity (HRI<1) for females. The Arsenic (As) values for children at GW1, 2, and 3 were also higher than unity. The pollution index for each heavy metal across sample location showed that Fe in GW1 and 3 during the dry season was high while in the wet season, values for Cu in GW4 was very high, Fe in GW1 and 2, and Mn in GW2 were higher than the unity. The overall pollution index of the heavy metal studied revealed that only Fe exceeded the unity value during the dry season whereas Cu, Fe, Pb, and Mn concentrations were also higher during the wet season. This calls for concern considering the vulnerability of children and women who may have been exposed to groundwater sources via ingestion. The heavy metal contamination as observed in this study may have occurred due to anthropogenic activities superimposed by the unregulated insanitary waste disposal phenomenon.
Citation: Alaye A.S. Bibiye; David N. Ogbonna; Sodienye A. Abere; Augusta Ayotamuno (2022) Heavy Metal Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Groundwater Sources to Waste Dumpsites in Port Harcourt, International Journal of Environment and Pollution Research, Vol.10, No.2 pp.34-49
Keywords: Groundwater, Heavy Metal, Pollution Index, Waste Management, health risk assessment.
Analyses of Some Heavy Metal and Nutrients of Water Samples from Ajegunle Creek in Lagos (Published)
This study investigates level of pollution in the Ajegunle Creek. Water samples were collected and analyzed for five months. This physicochemical characteristics, cation content, nutrients and heavy metal levels varied across the three sampled stations. The mean physicochemical parameters are Temperature (23-29.5ºC), TSS (9-43mg/l), TDS (386.3-15700mg/l), Turbidity (4.92-34.02NTU), Salinity (0.53-8.9%), Conductivity (679.3-25900 µS/cm), DO (0.1-4.8mg/l), BOD5 (2-598mg/l), COD (10-2192mg/l), Total Hardness (82-972mg/l). There were variations in the nutrient values. The mean cation content was; potassium (3.62-151mg/l), Calcium (4.11-170.3mg/l), Silica (0.82-11.43mg/l), Sodium (135.1-4926.07mg/l) and Oil and grease (< 0.2 mg/l). Nitrate ion is the common form of nitrogen found in the study site. The metals concentrations recorded are arranged in order of their distributions in the three sampling stations as follows: Fe>Zn>Mn>Cr>Ni>Cd>Pb>Cu. The seasonal influence as well as human induced stressors in the water confirmed that the Ajegunle creek in the Tin-Can Island area of Lagos is polluted.
Keywords: Heavy Metal, physicochemical quality and nutrients creek
Water Pollution Scenario at River Uramurukwa Flowing Through Owerri Metropolis, Imo State, Nigeria (Published)
Pollution scenario of water from River Uramurukwa was investigated. In both rainy and dry season, 5 water samples each taken from different points were analysed to determine physico-chemical parameters and heavy metals (using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer). The investigated physico-chemical parameters for both dry and rainy season respectively ranges from: temperature (32-32.4oC, 29-29.8oC), electrical conductivity (15.67-2.00 µS/cm, 7.31-61 µS/cm), pH(5.2-5.7, 5.9-6.7), total dissolved solids (2.67-3.98 mg/L, 3.29-5.33 mg/L) and TSS (4.43-6.64 mg/L,4.88-5.84 mg/L). The analysed major ions were: sodium (Na+)(1.30-1.67 mg/L, 1.76-2.38 mg/L), potassium (K+)(0.819-0.898 mg/L, 0.08-1.89 mg/L), magnesium (Mg2+)(1.13-2.78 mg/L, 1.23-2.86 mg/L), calcium (Ca2+)(22.92-24.6 mg/L, 13.9-43.9 mg/L), nitrate (NO3–)(0.91-0.96 mg/L, 0.56-0.97 mg/L), phosphate (PO43- )(0.34-1.65 mg/L, 1.07-2.17 mg/L) and sulphate (SO42-)(23.4-24.8 mg/L, 21.02-29.18 mg/L). The investigated heavy metals were: lead (Pb), zinc (Zn)(1.2-2.63 mg/L, 1.60-3.33 mg/L), copper (Cu)(0.13-0.79 mg/L,0.001-0.61 mg/L), iron (Fe)(0.091-0.19 mg/L,0.017-1.97 mg/L), cadmium (Cd)(0.002-0.180 mg/L, 0.002-0.025 mg/L), manganese (Mn)(0.08-1.02 mg/L, 0.008-0.091 mg/L). Temperature, Ec, DO,TDS and TSS were found to compile with WHO guidelines for domestic drinking water except for pH. Cu, Mn, Fe, in the water samples were all within the recommended guidelines of FEPA and WHO for domestic water use. High concentrations of Cd, Mn and Fe were observed at point 2 while all points for Zn and Pb exhibited high concentration. Water quality Index showed the area is unpolluted and safe for use. No ecological risk was observed except for Cd and Pb. PLI was all within recommended limit except for point 2 during the dry season. It should be observed that the River is polluted with Cd and Pb, this are highly toxic metals which can cause serious health damages even at low concentration.
Keywords: Contamination, Heavy Metal, Pollution, river